Birmingham Superintendent Craig Witherspoon is working hard to improve the school system despite sniping from some school board members. (The Birmingham News file/Joe Songer)

There are members of the Birmingham Board of Education who never miss an opportunity to take shots at Superintendent Craig Witherspoon. Shame on them. They nitpick, strain at gnats and do what they can to drag the superintendent down and, with it, the city school system.

Why? They know, I'm sure. Maybe they want the attention that is going to Witherspoon. Maybe they can't stand a strong superintendent who moves forward despite them. Maybe they feel threatened by Witherspoon.

Aren't they smart enough to know that if Witherspoon succeeds, the school board's reputation will benefit as well? And if Witherspoon fails, well, there is plenty of blame to go around, and a lot of it will land on the school board members who nitpicked, strained at gnats and worked to drag the superintendent down.

Witherspoon has managed to get much done and the school system is on the cusp of really big stuff. This fall, the career academies at six of the seven high schools launch. Students have opportunities to study in fields ranging from health care to business to tourism to engineering. The Birmingham Education Foundation is funding a Parent University program to get more parents involved with their children's education and the schools. We just learned that Ramsay High School has been accepted as a candidate for the International Baccalaureate program. Ramsay joins Phillips Academy's elementary and middle schools as IB candidates. In two years, Birmingham could very well have an elementary through high school IB program, only the second in the state.

Witherspoon has worked hard to deal with the school system's financial programs; he reorganized the school district's central office; he's helped lower the system's legal fees, though they're still too high because the school board insists on having outside lawyers from two different law firms attend each board meeting.

No, Witherspoon isn't perfect. He's made mistakes. He's stumbled a few times. But he rights himself quickly and marches on. He has a lot of support from the business community and from parents, students, teachers and principals.

What Witherspoon needs is support from the school board as well. The school system needs stability now more than ever. Witherspoon and the board should walk together, as partners trying to make the school system better. But at least Witherspoon is ready to do what he can regardless, even if some board members would rather play politics with the schoolchildren of Birmingham instead of helping their schools be better.

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